Ryan Bliss

Experience

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  Abercrombie & Fitch Co.

  Nov 1996 - Jan 1999

  Brand Representative

  I spent my entire paycheck on the clothes I was forced to wear to work every day. It was slave labor, but I loved it. And due to this amazing life experience I am now an EXPERT at folding clothes. My own clothes, my wife’s clothes, and even tiny little baby clothes. Doing laundry after a long day of work is one of my favorite things. And smiling. Smiling is my favorite.

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  Tower Records

  Nov 1997 - Jan 1999

  Sales Representative

  I sold the sh*t out of the electronic music section and tackled punks stealing CDs. Yeah. Ever seen the movie “Empire Records”? That was my store.

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  MITRE

  May 1998 - Oct 1999

  MCU Operator & Videoconferencing Support Representative

  MITRE Corporation, McLean, VAMCU Operator and Videoconferencing Support RepresentativeAs an MCU Operator & VTC Support Rep. for MITRE Corp. I performed the following duties: • Scheduled and supported all multipoint videoconferences for MITRE Corp. worldwide on CLI Model MCU/II and PictureTel Montage MCUs.• Maintained local video endpoints located at sites in McLean, VA and Reston, VA.• Performed troubleshooting and provided training to MITRE employees at all CONUS endpoints.• Assisted w/ live video shoots and supported other A/V requirements as needed. Show less

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  Buzzlife Productions

  Nov 1998 - Jan 2002

  Promoter

  I worked with some amazing deejays throwing epic raves in an “anti-rave” climate at Buzz/Nation. I was privileged & honored to have worked with artists such as Scott Henry, John Tab, Basement Jaxx, DB, Paul Oakenfold, Dieselboy, Donald Glaude, Dave Ralph, and many others.Buzz – once called "Washington's best electronic dance night" by The Washington Post - was one of Washington, D.C.'s longest running dance parties. It was co-founded by DJ/promoter Scott Henry and DJ/promoter and DC music store (Music Now) owner Lieven DeGeyndt at the East Side Club and then relaunched in October 1995 at the now demolished Nation, formerly the Capital Ballroom. At its peak it was one of the largest dance parties on the East Coast and voted "Best Party" four years in a row by then electronic dance music culture magazine URB (magazine). Buzz attracted the world's top electronic dance music artists to Washington, DC. Show less

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  Y2K Council

  Oct 1999 - Feb 2000

  On Site Video Service Representative

  York Telecom CorporationY2K Council, Washington, DCVideoconferencing and A/V Support RepresentativeAs a VTC and A/V Support Rep. at the Y2K Council site in Washington, DC I performed the following duties: • Assisted installation of network cabling for videoconferencing throughout the Y2K operations center.• Installed videoconferencing room and desktop systems and provided end user training to the various Y2K staff members assigned to use those systems.• Logged trouble calls regarding operational, hardware, and software failures.• Interfaced with various equipment manufacturers to resolve operational issues (Polycom, Radvision, VTEL, etc.) Show less

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  York Telecom Corp./Initia Inc.

  Feb 2000 - May 2006

  Video & A/V Maintenance Engineer/Distance Learning Specialist

  As a Videoconferencing Engineer & Distance Learning Specialist, my responsibilities included: • Maintenance of over 10,000 video and distance learning end points.• Record, monitor, & update trouble tickets in York Telecom’s ticket tracking application (BIS).• Assisting in scheduling, supporting, & conducting final acceptance testing with Field Engineers dispatched to customer end points to assist in troubleshooting, training, installations, & de-installations.• Wide Area & Local Area network support for ISDN, IP, & IVT video applications.• Interfacing w/ various Network Carriers (MCI/Sprint, AT&T, Qwest, etc.) & Equipment Manufacturers ( Polycom, Tandberg, VTEL, OneTouch, ClearOne, Snell & Wilcox, Sony, etc.) on network, hardware, & software diagnostics & repair.• Tier 3 Lead Support Representative for all Social Security Administration, Veterans Benefits Administration, Housing Telecommunications Inc., & the Internal Revenue Service distance learning endpoints and broadcast studios (Configured over 5000 OneTouch model SC202, SC210, KSM230, & SC500A/B Site Controllers for defective replacement & upgrades.)• Served on site at SSA’s Visual Communication Control Center in Baltimore, MD throughout my tenure w/ York Telecom training the VCCC staff in IVT and VTC support methods & in the remote usage of York Telecom BIS ticketing system.• Provided Tier 3 support for Bristol-Myers Squibb worldwide monitoring GMS for outages, supporting multiple MCU calls on multiple Polycom MGC 50 & 100 model MCU's. Interfaced directly w/ end users of many different nationalities w/ interpreters on setup of A/V peripherals, room scheduling, & training.• Provided 24 x 7 Tier 3 support on all Initia products including the M20, M60, and M200 access switches for thousands of US government & military endpoints worldwide. Show less

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  Lockheed Martin

  Jun 2006 - Jan 2008

  MCU Operator/Video & A/V Service Representative

  For US ARMY PEO C3T at Ft. Monmouth, my responsibilities included overseeing daily operation of 4 videoconferencing rooms as well as scheduling and operating a Polycom MGC-100 MCU. Equipment in the 4 video rooms included a Picturetel Concorde, Polycom Viewstation, Picturetel 970, Tandberg 7000 Classic codec, multiple Dell PCs, ceiling mounted projectors, and AMX control systems. Pre-testing calls and content display with US ARMY sites CONUS and OCONUS were a part of the managed service I provided for PEO. Break/fix interaction with manufacturers or repair depots was performed on behalf of the Division as required. Show less

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  PS Technologies

  Jan 2008 - Jul 2011

  Manager of Video TAC

  Started with PS Technologies as the first employee hired and managed Service and Support (TAC) through the BBNS acquisition of PST. Certified PST very early on as a Tandberg Platinum Partner and in doing so, managed all of the cert levels each employee held and the hardware required to obtain the certification.

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  Black Box

  Jul 2011 - Nov 2015

  As the Director of Video Service of the Black Box Network Services Video Solutions Practice, I managed staff associated with the Technical Assistance Center (TAC), Field Engineering, and contractual on site entities (Managed Services). My responsibilities, duties, and completed projects include:• Custom SLA and SOP creation for TelePresence and VNOC Managed Services offered by BBNS including on premise or remote Break/Fix services, Reservation/Scheduling, Bridging, Monitoring, Reporting, MCU Management, and general "White glove" Concierge Services.• Developing and maintaining training schedules for BBNS VSP Service and Engineering staff.• Locating, interviewing, hiring, and training onsite Managed Services entities.• Renewing BBNS Cisco Master ATP certification each year, which included keeping hardware inventory and employee certification levels up to spec, per Cisco requirement.• Performed as the Lead BBNS representative in obtaining Cisco Business Video Powered Service for BBNS taking the Company into the highest class of Cisco partners globally. This included managing assistance provided by a team of 3 staff members in gathering data, designing BBNS branded documentation, co-writing and publishing new areas of the BBNS website in relation to TelePresence & UC Support Services, designing marketed material in regard to BBNS Managed Services offerings, and then managing those materials and offerings through to a live customer deployment.• Directed and managed all Polycom (POLY) Partner Level certifications by managing my staff as well as my own high level industry wide testing & certification to Polycoms Partner requirement specs. I quarterbacked the BBNS-Polycom partnership, with my Team achieving RealPresence Solutions Specialization and RealPresence Services Specialization certifications, becoming a “Top 6” Polycom parter in 2014. Show less As Manager of Video Support Services at PS Technologies/Black Box VBU, I was responsible for maintaining the Technical Assistance Center and managing all post sale client interaction. The TAC is staffed 24x7x365. The TAC takes first call directly from the customer via phone or email and is capable of addressing all Tier 2 & 3 A/V, endpoint, and infrastructure calls immediately. My responsibilities included, but were not limited to:• Designing and maintaining BMC Service Desk Express database (including data entry of all supported parts and customer location and contact information, logging of trouble tickets, reporting, etc.).• Management of TAC staff (including shift management, 24/7 staff management, reporting, etc.).• Interfacing w/ PST/BBVBU Sales Representatives pre-sale, introducing the TAC to new clients, and assisting w/ identifying proper installation groups for new installs and field services groups for those contracts including onsite support.• Coordination of end user training efforts and coordination of all PST/BBVBU personnel manufacturer certification training.• Management of Manufacturer/Partner Level Certification (TANDBERG Platinum Partnership, Cisco Master ATP, Polycom RPSS, etc.)• Field Services and dispatch coordination on trouble tickets requiring onsite services.• PST email server administration (01/08 – 06/09, now performed by IT personnel)• Maintaining PST/BBVBU production infrastructure environment (including testing, debugging, monitoring of network providing access to TMS Server, Codian 4501 MCU, and VCS Control/Expressway, Vidyo infrastructure, and Polycom infrastructure (RMX, CMA, etc.) & their associated applications by company personnel. Show less

  • Director of Video Services, Video Solutions Practice

    May 2013 - Nov 2015

  • Manager of Video Support Services, Video Business Unit

    Jul 2011 - May 2013
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  BASSEC, LLC

  Feb 2016 - now

  Director of Technical Operations